By Cedric Johnson, Gleaner Writer WESTMORELAND:
THE NATIONAL Water Commission (NWC) has told the Westmoreland Parish Council that under the law, it (the Commission) has no responsibility for the repair or maintenance of fire hydrants as it does not own them.
"These hydrants are the responsibility of the fire brigade who owns them," according to a letter from the NWC read to Thursday's meeting of the council by secretary/manager Patricia Sinclair Stair. This came in response to criticisms from councillors at a previous meeting where it was highlighted that most of the 500 or so fire hydrants in the parish were in need of repairs. They had called on the NWC to work with the fire department to put them back in service.
The call from the councillors had been made in the wake of the recent spate of fires in buildings and sugar cane fields. The councillors were of the view that the malfunctioning hydrants are further hampering the effectiveness of the already limping fire service.
However, Patrick Daley, operations manager of the NWC, told the meeting that some hydrants had been repaired but blamed vandalism for the defects of others. He added that some of them had to be removed.
"We have to educate our people about the real purpose of the hydrants and the need to protect them," said Mayor Delford Morgan.
Mr. Daley also addressed questions from councillors in respect to inadequate and contaminated water in some areas, the digging up of newly-repaired roadways for the laying of pipelines and the issue of the Roaring River water supply. He blamed the current drought for the contamination of the Bath Mountain and Amity Water supplies but said water would be sent to those areas from the Williamsfield source. Responding to a question from the Mayor, Mr. Daley said contamination of the water can result from pit toilets above the source and burial of the dead.
"About five years ago, the Ministry of Health was requested to advise that no further burial should take place in the area," he said.
The NWC's operations man said whenever the roads are dug up, the instructions from his agency is that they should be immediately reinstated. He assured the councillors that the Roaring River Water supply is safe for drinking. Mayor Morgan requested that he continue his monitoring work to ensure that it remained safe.
